What should I expect at my first counseling session?

On your first visit, your counselor will greet you and hand you about 5 minutes worth of paperwork. These are the documents showing the counselor’s credentials, fees, privacy policy, and other business related information. After filling out the paperwork, the counselor will bring you inside the counseling room, make sure you are comfortable, explain a few more things about the business side, answer any questions you may have, and then ask you a few questions to get to know you. The counselor is very interested in hearing your story, so this is a good time to begin telling your story. The counselor may ask some questions while you are telling your story to clarify what you are saying. As the session ends, you and the counselor will determine roughly three goals that you have for counseling. The counselor here at New Pathways Counseling often ends the session with a prayer. You have every right to refuse prayer if you are uncomfortable with it. After that, the counselor will schedule your next appointment and take your payment.

What should I expect at the following sessions?

Your counselor will use the goals you set in the first session to set up a plan of action to meet those goals. You may ask the counselor what the treatment plan is. The counselor will often ask you what is going on in your life or which goal you would like to work on. Sometimes you will do more talking, and sometimes the counselor will teach a new skill depending on what is going on with you. You will work on your goals for about 40 minutes, and then the counselor will wrap up the session, possibly give you some self-help assignments to do during the week, pray, schedule your next appointment, and take your payment.

How long does a session last?

When can I expect to start feeling better?

Results from counseling are based on the individual, but if you complete the self-help assignments and you put a lot of effort into your mental health, you can expect to start feeling better in as few as four weeks.

How often will my counselor want to see me?

In the beginning your counselor will want to see you once a week. When your goals are met, your counselor will spread that out over two, three, or even four weeks to make sure your goals and life changes remain met.

How will I know when I’m done with counseling?

When your initial goals are met or are close to being met, the counselor will ask you how you think counseling is going and if you have any other goals you would like to work on. If you believe that your goals have been met and the counselor agrees, the counselor will often schedule a few maintenance or check-up appointments several weeks out to make sure you are still doing well. As long as the changes you have made continue to work for you and you believe you are doing well with few setbacks, the counseling relationship can be put on hold. Because humans are always growing, the door to the counselor’s office is always open if you have any other goals that you would like to meet.

I thought only crazy people and people who can’t handle life are the only people who need counseling. Why should I come to counseling?

Most people who come to counseling are regular people with regular problems or regular goals. If you want support, guidance, skills, or steps you can take to meet your goals, counseling is for you. If you know you have some things from your past that are holding you back from reaching your true potential, counseling is for you. If you want your marriage to be better and more satisfying for you and your spouse, counseling is for you. One counselor once said, “Counseling is like indoor plumbing. You can live without it, but why would you want to?”

How much does counseling cost?

At New Pathways Counseling, sessions are $80 for a 50 minute session. Many insurance companies will cover counseling, and it is known in insurance circles as “outpatient behavioral health.” Check with your insurance company to see what your benefits are. Many Sevier County residents are uninsured and cannot afford $80 a week. For those clients New Pathways Counseling offers a sliding scale that is based on the client’s gross monthly income and the dependents that client claims on their taxes. This scale gives a discount off the $80 and ranges from $40-$80.

How can I get the most out of my counseling sessions?

Your counselor will often give self-help assignments for you to complete during the week. Work on those assignments and bring them in with questions. Be active and take charge of your progress. If you are excited about the changes you want to make, you will have much better success and make much progress. Schedule in a time each day (usually around 15 minutes) to practice what your counselor is teaching you. Take notes in session if you have difficulty remembering what was taught or discussed. Journal or write things down so that you can remember them and bring them up in session. Jot down questions or topics you would like to discuss with your counselor as they come up during the week, and bring them in.

Will I have access to my counselor during the week?

If you have an emergency, call 911. If you have an issue that you need to discuss with your counselor but is non-emergent, it is best to wait until your appointment time. If you call your counselor and seek counseling advice between appointment times, you will be charged based on the $80 counseling hour. The first 15 minutes are free, but after that charges will accrue in 5 minute segments. For example, if your call lasts 15 minutes and 1 second, you will be charged $20 (15 minutes/60 minutes = .25; .25 x $80 per hour= $20). If your call lasts 20 minutes, you would be charged $26.67. Because this is an unexpected or after hours call, the sliding scale does not apply. If you are simply calling to make, change, or cancel an appointment, these charges will not apply, as those calls usually last roughly 3 minutes at the most.

Are there any limits to confidentiality?

Yes. If you are GOING to hurt yourself or someone else, the counselor is required by law to inform that person and law enforcement of your intent. If current child abuse, elder abuse, or abuse of a mentally incapacitated person is reported, the counselor is obligated by law to report those cases to law enforcement. The counselor-client relationship in the state of Tennessee is protected in the same manner as the attorney-client privilege. Therefore, the counselor will not testify for or against the client or release any information to anyone other than in the above mentioned cases unless the client (or the client’s legal guardian) has first signed a statement stating what is to be released and to whom.

Where is New Pathways Counseling located?

New Pathways Counseling is located at 1110 Oak Cluster Drive, Suite 4, Sevierville, TN 37862. From Veterans Boulevard in Sevierville, turn onto Middle Creek Road. Turn onto Ernest McMahan Road. Go up the hill, and at the bottom of the hill you will see Oak Cluster Center on your right. New Pathways Counseling is located in the back corner of the first building on your right. You will probably feel like you are coming into the back door of the office, but it is the only door into or out of the office.